FEATHERBROOKE – A local child needs donations to fund a life-changing operation.
Rishika Reddy holds Sienna outside their stall at King School West Rand.
Sienna Reddy (6) is in need of the community’s help for a life-changing operation.
Reddy is autistic and has sensory processing disorder, a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving, deciphering and responding to messages received.
Due to these disorders, she walks on her toes which resulted in her leg bones not developing properly. She is also not communicating as yet as she suffers from dyspraxia, a condition where her tongue and lips cannot communicate with her brain.
Her parents and residents of Featherbrooke, Rishika and Theo, wish to take her for operations overseas.
The first operation for which they are raising funds for is stem cell replacement treatment. This treatment would repair Reddy’s damaged brain cells as doctors will take stem cells out of her hip bone marrow and inject it into her spinal fluid.
Reddy’s parents need R200 000 for her treatment and stay at hospital in Mumbai, India, and flights. Through other donations, Reddy has received R50 000 towards her cause.
“Doctors have emphasised that the younger the child, the better the chances of improvement to ensure a better quality of life and development,” said Rishika.
Naledi Shuenyane, Beverley and Candice Taljaard, Desiree Ramgulam and Rishika Reddy man the stall in aid of Sienna’s operation.
With the help of her church, Rishika had a stall selling baked goods and crafts at the King School West Rand on 22 April. The school held a flea market where the stalls were free and the stallholders could keep all the proceeds.
Rishika took the opportunity to raise funds for her daughter and through the market, R3 500 was donated to Reddy’s operation.
Details: To find out more information and how to donate to this cause, contact Rishika Reddy on 076 118 7182 or rishika.ramgulam@gmail.com, or Theo Reddy on 078 457 8848 or you can go to the Rishika Reddy Facebook page.
